Demolition Begins on the Imperial House Building Next To Saint Thomas West Hospital

Plans are underway to bring down the dilapidated Imperial House building located at 109 Bosley Springs Road next to Saint Thomas West Hospital to prepare for the redevelopment of the property. The apartment building was purchased by Saint Thomas Health in the 1980’s and continued to operate until 2006. In the early 1990’s, the Daughters of Charity built a house on the Imperial House grounds for their local Sisters, but separate from the building. The home was destroyed by the flood of 2010.

“Currently, we are exploring options on what to do with the property after demolition that will best serve the needs of the community which aligns with the mission, vision and values of Saint Thomas Health and Ascension,” said Karen Springer, president and CEO, Saint Thomas Health. Saint Thomas Health is a part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system.

Recently, the Richland Creek Watershed Alliance (RCWA) gave its full support to Saint Thomas Health’s revised specific for the redevelopment of the property. The revised plan adds water quality buffers to the mixed use development plan. In the spring of 2017, RCWA President & Executive Director Monette Rebecca sent a letter to Metropolitan Council supporting adoption of Saint Thomas West Hospital’s revised specific plan. “We are grateful that Saint Thomas Health and the Richland Creek Watershed Alliance have been able to work together in coming up with a constructive solution that will allow Saint Thomas Health to move forward with its plans for the redevelopment of the Imperial House property and, at the same time, protect Richland Creek and the water quality in Davidson County,” said Springer.

The demolition process on the 11 story building, headed by Case Restoration Company in Nashville, will happen in four main phases. The building will not come down in one implosion, but instead, in four separate “trips” where sections of the building will collapse on separate days. Overall, the project is expected to take 60 to 90 days to complete. Direct mailers have been sent out by Saint Thomas Health to area businesses and residents within a ½ mile radius of the Imperial House alerting them of the demolition.

In Tennessee, Ascension’s Saint Thomas Health operates nine hospitals in addition to a comprehensive network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and rehabilitation facilities that cover a 68-county area and employ more than 8,000 associates. Across the state, Saint Thomas Health provided more than $78 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2016. Serving Tennessee for 15 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, operating 2,500 sites of care – including 141 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities – in 24 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.sthealth.com